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Bass Fishing

I figured we need a separate thread for bass fishing, assuming there are others here besides me who like to concentrate on bass, whether largemouths or smallmouths.
I'm in! I bought a personal pontoon last year just to regain access to smallmouth water nearby, but I still haven't taken it out. Largemouth and crappie are the only fishing that is convenient to where I live.
 
I do all of my fishing in the summer and early fall, on a lake in northern Minnesota where I have a place. Since it is northern Minnesota, the bass do not grow to jumbo size, but I have caught some 4 pounders in the lake and my neighbor (who is out there fishing just about every evening) says he has caught 5 to 6 pounders.

The lake is only about 200 acres, and not very deep. The deepest part is 22 feet. There are a lot of lily pads and weeds.

There are only 5 species of fish in the lake and no trash fish at all…..largemouth bass, northern pike, crappies, bluegills and perch. The fishing pressure is light because most of the people who live on the lake seem to only be interested in circling the lake in their pontoon boats.

I don’t think I have ever once gone out fishing on the lake and not caught something. I usually take my kayak out since I do catch and release anyway. The kayak can be a bit of an issue when I hook a large northern because they pull me around until I am able to land them. :) Or until they break the line, but that is why I use a leader so at least their teeth don’t sever the line. I also have pretty good luck just casting from my dock.

I have found that the lure that works best…..in fact I don’t remember ever really catching anything on anything else….is a black Beetle Spin. Other colors don’t seem to work at all, and I think it is because the black color mimics the bass, northern and perch minnows in the lake.

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I know that the Beetle Spin is an “old,” passe lure and has been around for probably over 50 years, but it works so I plan to keep using it. The problem sometimes is finding them in black.

Anyway, my technique is just to cast to the lily pad lines and reel in slowly, and I almost always catch quite a few fish. If there is a crappie school in the vicinity at the time I can catch a crappie on just about every cast, and I also catch the larger bluegills who are able to get the lure in their mouths. I don’t enjoy catching the northerns but there is no way to avoid them because they inhabit the same areas as the bass. Trying to land those suckers and then get the hook out in a kayak is not much fun.

But the bass are plentiful and almost always eager to bite, so I have a great time.
 
I'm in! I bought a personal pontoon last year just to regain access to smallmouth water nearby, but I still haven't taken it out. Largemouth and crappie are the only fishing that is convenient to where I live.
I have been fishing for bass my whole life and have never caught a smallmouth. :( As I mention above, the lake I fish in now doesn't have any smallmouths so I won't be catching any of them any time soon!
 



I can't tell from the angle of the picture, is that a split-tail beetle with the yellow stripes on top? What size(s) do you prefer? I was going to poke around on Ebay to see what I can find. I'm pretty sure that I've seen those for sale in bulk at a cheap price.
 
I have been fishing for bass my whole life and have never caught a smallmouth. :( As I mention above, the lake I fish in now doesn't have any smallmouths so I won't be catching any of them any time soon!

If you like to fish from a kayak, and you live in northern Minnesota, it shouldn't be too tough to find a nearby stream with smallmouths. Have you ever tried to find some in nearby streams?
 
I can't tell from the angle of the picture, is that a split-tail beetle with the yellow stripes on top? What size(s) do you prefer? I was going to poke around on Ebay to see what I can find. I'm pretty sure that I've seen those for sale in bulk at a cheap price.
Here are the 1/16 oz. single tailed beetle spins:

 



If you have a question feel free to ask, I have used most kinds of lures, do I have favorites, yes I do, at different times and different lakes
 
I can't tell from the angle of the picture, is that a split-tail beetle with the yellow stripes on top? What size(s) do you prefer? I was going to poke around on Ebay to see what I can find. I'm pretty sure that I've seen those for sale in bulk at a cheap price.
Here are the 1/16 oz. single tailed beetle spins:

Thanks very much for doing some research. So far I have been able to find what I need in local shops, but it hasn't always been easy to find them in black. Thanks for finding an internet source for me. I usually use the 1/8 ounce size because that seems to work for all species in the lake. But I do sometimes use 1/16 or 1/4.
 
If you like to fish from a kayak, and you live in northern Minnesota, it shouldn't be too tough to find a nearby stream with smallmouths. Have you ever tried to find some in nearby streams?
I haven't, mostly because I am just lazy I guess. ;) When I want to go fishing I can be out on my lake in less than 5 minutes and be almost guaranteed to catch fish. I could transport my kayak on top of my car if I wanted to, and I have thought about doing so.......but see my first sentence. :Biggrin:

Actually, the one place that I would really like to fish, where I could use my kayak to access them, is the mine pits near Crosby. These are old open-pit iron mines that are inactive and were allowed to fill with water, and then were stocked with various species. They are incredibly deep for their size. I think the deepest one is around 550 feet deep and all are at least 200 feet deep. They are now a recreation area with world-class mountain biking trails around the lakes.

 



What a fantastic idea for a forum. Love bass fishing. The lakes around Omaha are pretty lame for fishing. Biggest bass I’ve caught around here is in the 2 to 2 1/2 lbs.
 

I'm in! I bought a personal pontoon last year just to regain access to smallmouth water nearby, but I still haven't taken it out. Largemouth and crappie are the only fishing that is convenient to where I live.
Don’t you live in SD? The state where walleye thrive
(don’t have to answer for security reasons if you don’t want to)
 
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